Driving Factors of Urban Carbon Metabolism in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Across Multiple Dimensions

Identifying the key factors associated with urban carbon metabolism is essential for understanding the mechanisms underlying low-carbon urban transformation and achieving sustainable development goals. This study applies a meta-analysis approach to quantify the major factors influencing urban carbon metabolism in China. The literature search covered the period from 1 January 2010 to 5 March 2025 and was conducted using the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the Weipu database, the Wanfang database, Web of Science, Elsevier, Emerald, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. Based on 38 empirical studies, 227 effect sizes, and 4495 observations, 21 influencing factors were examined and classified into three dimensions: natural factors, socioeconomic factors, and land-use and landscape factors. The results indicate that these three dimensions were significantly associated with urban carbon metabolism, with socioeconomic factors having the greatest overall effect size. Specifically, the Largest Patch Index (LPI) and building land size showed the strongest correlations with urban carbon metabolism, whereas sunshine exhibited the weakest correlation among the examined factors. These findings highlight the importance of optimizing land-use structures and promoting green socioeconomic transformation, providing quantitative evidence and practical implications for improving urban carbon governance and supporting sustainable low-carbon development. The findings may inform urban planners, policymakers, and researchers in developing evidence-based strategies for urban carbon management and low-carbon development.